Parametric Portfolio

ART 801

ART801- Introduction to 3D Modelling and Parametric Design “Harmony in Dichotomy: Bridging the Abyss Between Regular Block and Parametric Futuristic Architecture” Introduction

Contents: 1. Introduction - I 2. Urban Veil - 1 3. PneumoDome Pavilion - 7 4. SkyLoom Tower - 11 5. Twisted Box Bridge - 13 6. Accumulo Pavilion - 15

The architectural dichotomy presented in this juxtaposition explores the captivating interplay between parametric futuristic architecture and the familiarity of regular structures. This dynamic contrast not only introduces visual diversity but also creates a compelling dialogue between tradition and innovation. The regular structures, with their timeless and established forms, act as anchors to the architectural landscape, grounding the viewer in a sense of familiarity. In stark contrast, the parametric futuristic elements inject a sense of avant-garde creativity, pushing the boundaries of conventional design and prompting a reconsideration of spatial possibilities.

This dichotomy, marked by the harmonious coexistence of the familiar and the futuristic, not only showcases the adaptability of architectural language but also invites viewers to engage in a thought-provoking exploration of the evolving nature of built environments. The juxtaposition becomes a narrative, where the tension between tradition and innovation converges to redefine the boundaries of architectural expression.

7. VerdureVoro Pavilion - 17 8. StigmeNexus Pavilion - 19 9. ArborWeave Bridge - 25 10. Citations & References - 27

House for Contemporary Art Z33 , 2011.Hasselt, Belgium https://numen.eu/installations/net/hasselt/

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The wooden structure of the Metropol Parasol, Jürgen Hermann Mayer, Seville, Spain.

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Urban Veil

View of the urban veil

Soap bubble experiment Math Duo Maps the Infinite Terrain of Minimal Surfaces/ quantamagazine/ Erica Klarreich. https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/ uploads/2019/03/MinimalSurface_2880x1620.jpg

A minimal surface is a surface with the property that its mean curvature at each point is zero or, equivalently, the divergence of the unit normal vector is zero. In simpler terms, a minimal surface is a surface that locally minimizes its area.

Mesh relaxation https://www.iaacblog.com/programs/softer-skin/ Green void Installation.

Labaratory for Visionary Architecture, 2008. Green void, Sydney,

Minimal surface Installation. https://designcompute.tumblr.com/post/40881291320/mini-

Initial inspiration is based on the Green void installation by LAVA and Minimal surface installation as documented by design compute. In both cases they were visualised as a installation and not as a organic part of the surrounding structures. A small study was carried out on the concepts of minimal surface and mesh relaxation.

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Mesh relaxation refers to a process used in computer graphics and computational geometry to improve the quality of a mesh, which is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that defines the shape of a 3D object.

The goal of mesh relaxation is to adjust the positions of vertices in the mesh to achieve certain desired properties, such as smoother surfaces, better distribution of triangles, or improved geometric regularity.

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Workflow

1. Initial geometry is converted into a mesh

2. The mesh is welded together and refined to make it smoother

7. 1 cycle simulation

8. 4 cycles of simulation

3. The naked edges of the mesh is extracted

4. The circle is the target to which the mesh would be stretched to

9. 8 cycles of simulation

10. 12 cycles of simulation

5. Two sets of points are identified and the points on the naked edge would be stretched to the respective point on the circle

6. The initial points and their respective target points given to the anchor component in kangaroo library

11. 16 cycles of simulation

12. 20 cycles of simulation. Final mesh

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Pattern exploration on mesh

A. Picture frame

D. Double X Pattern

E. Weave Pattern B. Fan Pattern

C. Criss Cross Pattern 5

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PneumoDome pavilion

Workflow

1. A square mesh and a curve is taken as the primary input

2. The curve and the mesh edge is divided into an equal number of points

3. Intersection points of the mesh face is the point at which force acts

4. A force is acted on the points in the positive Z direction

5. 1 cycle of simulation

6. 5 cycles of simulation

View of PneumoDome pavilion

Form Inspiration

The form is inspired by the science behind air bubbles in a bubble wrap and the Inflatable Cloud project

by Ar. Smiljan Radic for Alexander Mcqueen’s 2022 runway show.

The structure is buoyed by a net of tensile steel cables. Air vents all around the structure keeps the structure inflated.

What are bubble wraps?

Bubble wrap is a packaging material consisting of sheets of plastic with numerous small air-filled bubbles trapped between them. The science behind bubble wrap involves principles of materials science, engineering, and physics.

Bubble wrap closeup. https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/bubbly-plastic-gm1412553578-461937104

How are bubble wraps made?

The bubbles in bubble wrap are created during the manufacturing process. The plastic film is heated and then passed through rollers that contain the bubble shapes. The heat causes the film to form around the Inflatable Cloud, Smiljan Radić,2021. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/a-giant-bubble-marksbubbles, creating pockets of air.

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Workflow

7. 10 cycles of simulation

8. 15 cycles of simulation. Initial mesh.

11. 2 cycles of simulation

12. 5 cycles of simulation

13. 10 cycles of simulation

14. 15 cycles of simulation. Final mesh. Can be smoothened further if needed.

9. The mesh is subdivided and the edge points of the mesh is used as anchor point

15. Final mesh thickened 10. A vertical force is applied on every vertices of each face of the mesh 9

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SkyLoom Tower

View of the SkyLoom tower

Workflow

1. A series of vertically 2. Two curves are used as a 3. Based on the stacked boxes is taken guide and their proximity to distance to the curve as the starting point. the centroids are measured. some of the box are culled.

The cubes sculpture, Alois Kronschlaeger, 2013. https://aloiskronschlaeger.wordpress.com/2013/02/

The cubes is a series of sculptures made by Alois Kronschlaeger. They are all a 2x2 feet cube. The griddy structure is made of bass wood. An aluminium mesh is then placed and the entire structure is then drowned with paint.

Form Inspiration The inspiration for the form was inspired by these sculptures, the idea that these sculptures could be made into an architectural structure like a skyscraper or a pavilion.

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4. The external faces 5. The internal faces are joined 6. The edges of the and internal faces are and are smoothened using initial boxes are split into two lists. laplacian smoothing. converted into pipes to form the grid.

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Twisted box bridge

Workflow

1. A simple curve is the primary input

2. A pipe is constructed around the curve with different radius at each junction

View of the Twisted Box Bridge

3. A larger pipe is constructed around 4. Twisted boxes are created between the curve with varying radius values the two pipes tweening between them

Iterations Form Inspiration

The skeletal reconfiguration of a pufferfish

Pufferfishes are one of the few organisms in nature that is able to reconfigure their body shape. They do it as a form of defense mechanism. They do so by intaking large amount of air or water and inflating their body. The skeletal structure is not rigid and it is rather elastic and flexible allowing it to expand and maintain shape.

5a. Geometry to be morphed onto the 6a. The resulting morphed geometry twisted boxes

Digital Models, Michael Pryor. https://parametric-architecture.com/pufferfish-upscaling-architecture-through-its-intricacies/

5b. Geometry to be morphed onto the 6b. The resulting morphed geometry twisted boxes

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Accumulo Pavilion

Iterations

5a. Element 1

View of the Accumulo Pavilion

Form Inspiration

One singular geometry converted into a cluster of geometry, approximating the shape of an input mesh with several factors that affect the resulting geometry was considered to make this form

Workflow

5b. Element 2

2. A bounding box is created around the mesh. The box determines the angle of the twisted boxes

1. Initial mesh used as input for the workflow

4. The twisted boxes are compared against the mesh and only the overlapping twisted boxes are retained

3. An array of twisted boxes is constructed in the box 15

5c. Element 3

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VerdureVoro Pavilion

Workflow

1. A collection of points is used to populate a region. This region also acts as the boundary for the pattern

2. A voronoi pattern is generated using the collection of points as the proximity guide

View of the VerdureVoro Pavilion

3. The centroid of each of the grids is 4. A voronoi pattern is generated using moved on the Z axis using a range of the collection of points as the proximity random values guide

Voronoi pattern in nature

Form Inspiration

The voronoi pattern is a recurring pattern in many biological and physical systems. It’s a geometric pattern that divides a space based on it’s proximity to a set of points. The goal was to throw an element of randomness to the otherwise organised pattern to make an interesting form.

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5. The resulting proximity lines are piped using a multipipe component

6. The resulting mesh is further smoothened using Laplacian smoothing

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Stigmergy Dorigo’s first ant algorithm Initialization: Place artificial ants in the problem space, representing potential solutions.

Solution Construction: Ants construct solutions by moving from one solution component to another based on a probabilistic rule that considers both the quality of the solution component and the amount of pheromone on it.

View of the StigmeNexus Pavilion

Mass colloboration of ants

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Stigmergy Stigmergy is a mechanism of indirect coordination, through the environment, between agents or actions. The principle is that the trace left in the environment by an individual action stimulates the performance of a succeeding action by the same or different agent.

Agents that respond to traces in the environment receive positive fitness benefits, reinforcing the likelihood of these behaviors becoming fixed within a population over time.

Stigmergy in ants Another classic example of stigmergy can be found in the pheromone trails left by ants that come back from a food source. The pheromone stimulates other ants to follow the same path. When they find food, they too will reinforce the pheromone trail while following the trail back to the nest. This mechanism leads to the emergence of an efficient network of trails connecting the nest via the shortest routes to all the major food sources.

Dorigo’s first ant algorithm https://www.leonelmoura.com/sitgmergy/

Evaluation: Evaluate the quality of the solutions constructed by ants.

Pheromone Update: Update the amount of pheromone on the solution components based on the quality of the solutions. Better solutions receive more pheromone.

Iteration: Repeat the process for a certain number of iterations or until a stopping criterion is met.

Ant swarm intelligence in finding shortest route to food source https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283481275_Optimal_routing_for_waste_collection_a_case_study_in_Singapore

Ants use chemical signals, or pheromones, to communicate with each other.

When an ant encounters an obstacle, it may deposit pheromones along its path. Other ants following behind can sense these pheromones and adjust their paths to avoid the obstacle.

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Stigmergy 2D

5. 150 cycles

6. 200 cycles

7. 250 cycles

8. 300 cycles

9. 350 cycles

10. 400 cycles

11. 450 cycles

12. 500 cycles

Simulated Stigmergic pattern on a 2D surface

Workflow

1. Points randomly populated in a 2D surface that acts as the spawn point

2. Initial directional vectors randomly spawned for the point to move along

4. 100 cycles

3. 50 cycles 21

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StigmeNexus Pavilion

5. 100 cycles

6. 150 cycles

7. 200 cycles

8. 250 cycles

9. 300 cycles

10. 350 cycles

11. 250 cycles is chosen as final geometry

12. The geometry is then piped and converted into a mesh

View of StigmeNexus pavilion

Workflow

1. Input cube that would act as the boundary for the pattern

2. Random points populated in the cube. These will act as spawn points.

3. Random directional vectors for the spawns to move initially

4. 50 cycles 23

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ArborWeave Bridge

Workflow

1. Target mesh

2. Point spawn from which creepers grow

3. 200 cycles of growth

4. 400 cycles of growth

5. 600 cycles of growth

6. 800 cycles of growth

Interior view of ArborWeave Bridge

Creeper plant growing on an object

Creepers

Creepers grow on objects using various mechanisms. The process typically involves the use of specialized structures, including tendrils, aerial roots, or other appendages, to anchor the plant and support its upward growth.

Form Inspiration

Creepers are fascinating in the way they can grow on any object, some even completely covering said objects. The idea that a creeper like structure in an Architectural setting using a base object as the target to grow on.

7. 1000 cycles of growth

8. 1000 cycles converted into a mesh

Vine covered wall

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Citations & References •

Xue, Weijian & Cao, Kai. (2015). Optimal routing for waste collection: a case study in Singapore. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 30. 1-19. 10.1080/13658816.2015.1103374.

• Net Hasselt, House for Contemporary Art Z33 / 02.07. - 02.10.2011 Hasselt, Belgium. https://numen.eu/installations/net/ hasselt/ • Metropol Parasol, Jurgen Mayer, Seville, Spain. https://jmayerh.de/metropol-parasol/ • Green void Installation.

Labaratory for Visionary Architecture, 2008. Green void, Sydney, Australia. https://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/green-void/ • Minimal surface Installation.https://designcompute.tumblr.com/post/40881291320/minimal-surface-installation-the-creation-of • Soap bubble experiment. Math Duo Maps the Infinite Terrain of Minimal Surfaces/ quantamagazine/ Erica Klarreich. https:// d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2019/03/MinimalSurface_2880x1620.jpg • Mesh relaxation. https://www.iaacblog.com/programs/softer-skin/ • Minimal surfaces. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/MinimalSurface.html • Minimal surfaces. https://parametrichouse.com/minimal-surface1/ • Mesh relaxation study. https://behnazfarahi.com/mesh-relaxation-study/ • Bubble wrap closeup. https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/bubbly-plastic-gm1412553578-461937104 • Inflatable Cloud, Smiljan Radić,2021. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/a-giant-bubble-marks-the-return-of-alexander-mcqueen-shows-to-london • The cubes sculpture, Alois Kronschlaeger, 2013. https://aloiskronschlaeger.wordpress.com/2013/02/ • Pufferfish skeleton. https://www.reddit.com/r/biology/comments/12ry9mq/the_puffer_fish_skeleton_and_the_way_it_works_ is/ • Models by Michael Pryor. https://parametric-architecture.com/pufferfish-upscaling-architecture-through-its-intricacies/ • Voronoi patterns in nature. https://i0.wp.com/nyccami.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/WODB.jpg?w=679&ssl=1 • Dorigo’s first ant algorithm. https://www.leonelmoura.com/sitgmergy/ • Xue, Weijian & Cao, Kai. (2015). Optimal routing for waste collection: a case study in Singapore. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 30. 1-19. 10.1080/13658816.2015.1103374.

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